How to take a night view with a digital camera

Skills and settings of shooting night scenes

First, the characteristics of night photography

1, the subject is prominent and the theme is distinct.

Night photography, because the sky is dark, some unnecessary or even destructive scenes are covered by darkness, and the main part of the subject or scene is highlighted with appropriate lighting because of the need of shooting, giving people a vivid impression. For example, when shooting a construction site, it is difficult to avoid some messy deposits or dilapidated sheds in the daytime, but at night, most of these things are hidden in the dark, but the subject is easily highlighted by the light. It can be seen that night photography has the characteristics of prominent subject and distinct theme.

2. Exaggerate the scenery and render the atmosphere

Night photography, because of its unique shooting method and tone processing technique, has the specialty of exaggerating scenery and rendering atmosphere. It can use light to create a tone, exaggerate the scenery, make them more prominent than the real scenery, and have a strong appeal. In addition, it can also use special shooting technology, make full use of the characteristics of the surrounding environment and render it reasonably, so that the atmosphere of the shooting scene is very strong. For example, shooting the train station during the day, the picture is not lively, there are not many trains, and the atmosphere is not strong. If you shoot at night, you can use the method of multiple exposures to open the shutter every time the train comes, so that bright locomotive lights can stay on the picture, thus obtaining the busy effect of train operation.

There are many light sources with dual functions.

Night photography often has many light sources at the same time, which is different from daytime photography. Such as lights, flames, moonlight or the afterglow of sunset. It plays a dual role in night photography: it is not only the light source of illumination, but also an indispensable part of the picture. If there is no light, fire or moonlight in night photography, the atmosphere of night photography will be greatly weakened.

4. The theme is still life.

When shooting at night, the subject is mainly static scenery, which is generally not suitable for shooting fast-moving objects. Due to the weak light at night, the illumination of various scenes is very low, and the exposure time is long when shooting. In addition, the contrast of night light is very strong, and there is a great difference between bright and dark places. If rapid exposure is used, the negative film is underexposed, the picture level is reduced, and the photo lacks charm.

Second, the matters needing attention in night photography

1, to prevent the camera from moving.

When shooting at night, the camera should be screwed on a tripod or placed in a stable and firm place. Adjust the aperture, press the shutter and observe the scenery. Don't touch the fuselage, especially when exposed many times. Otherwise, the negative film will appear ghosting, which will lead to shooting failure.

2, the use of aperture

Pay special attention to the use of aperture when shooting night scenes. Because it affects the clarity of the scene. Some night scenes, because the light is very dark, can not accurately determine the shooting distance. Therefore, the methods of reducing aperture and increasing depth of field are often used to deal with it. When shooting night scenes, the commonly used aperture is f5.6 or f8. The positions of some scenes are relatively fixed, and the light changes little. The aperture can be appropriately smaller, but the exposure time should be extended accordingly, so that the clear range of the scene can be larger. When multiple exposures are made, the exposure can be adjusted through the aperture according to the intensity of light on the spot.

3. Determination of distance

The shooting distance should be measured as accurately as possible, otherwise it will directly affect the clarity of the scene. Generally speaking, when shooting a big scene at night, the distance can be placed at infinity. If you take a shot or close-up, you should focus on it. The clearer the focus, the better. The focus should be fixed on the position of the subject or the main part of the scene, and then measured after being illuminated by a flashlight. You can also use bright spots near the subject instead of measurement. Once the distance is determined, it cannot be changed at will during shooting.

4. Mastery of exposure

Night shooting exposure is complicated, so you can't rely on the exposure meter. We should explore the law from reality. There are two exposure methods: one exposure and multiple exposures.

(1) One exposure: One exposure is easier to master. Before shooting, before shooting, put the camera on a tripod, and then determine the shooting object and framing range. After framing, check the fixation of the camera again, and control the opening of the shutter with the release of the cable to make a timed exposure. Without cable release, the lens cover can be used to control the open shutter.

(2) Multiple exposures: More than two exposures are called multiple exposures. It is a method used only when one exposure cannot complete the shooting task. Using multiple exposures, some scenes can be shot in stages, making the picture rich in content and lively in form.

When using multiple exposures, we should pay attention to: first, separate the scenes with different light intensities, so that the darkest scene is exposed more first, and the brightest scene is exposed less later. Second, some scenes can't be exposed first or more, and artificial light can be used to properly enhance the brightness of dark scenes to adjust the contrast of the picture. Thirdly, for some scenes with too strong or too weak light, the film can be thinned or thickened, and enlarged can also be remedied if it cannot be adjusted on site.

It is difficult to have a definite number for night shooting exposure. Exposure time of more than one second depends on the photographer's experience. Generally speaking, exposure should be controlled more strictly when exposure is carried out. When multiple exposures are made, the exposure time has a lot of room for expansion. If you find that some scenes or parts of scenes are not exposed enough, you can open the shutter again to make up for it. No matter one exposure or multiple exposures, there is still the afterglow of sunset in the sky when shooting, so the exposure time should be tightened, and underexposure is better than overexposure. If overexposed, the photos will lose their night features. As night falls, colorful lights decorate our city, and both buildings and people show completely different colors from those during the day. Even the ordinary scenery during the day will give people a fantastic feeling under the bright lights at night, but it is difficult to shoot these beautiful night scenes with digital cameras, which is largely determined by the characteristics of digital cameras themselves.